TDK’s Munich-based component subsidiary Epcos made a public tender offer for all publicly held shares of Tronics, in a stock-based deal valued at about $54.3 million, it said in a news release Monday. Tronics’ portfolio includes MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) technologies with multiple sensor functions in one device. The integration of Tronics into TDK will open opportunities in growth markets for inertial sensors in industrial, automotive and consumer electronics, enabling TDK to “substantially expand its sensor business and provide customers with a wide range of sensor solutions,” it said. Thales Avionics, which owns 20.9 percent of Tronics, said it wishes to remain a strategic shareholder of Tronics. Epcos and Thales initiated discussions to establish terms and conditions of their possible future relationships for Tronics, and agreed to sign a shareholders’ agreement at the close of the tender offer.

Sony will negotiate the sale of most of its battery business to Murata under a nonbinding memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies, Sony said in a 6-K disclosure Thursday at the SEC. Sony expects to incur a loss on the sale, but it won’t disclose that loss in an earnings forecast it plans to release Friday because the amount won’t be known until it signs definitive agreements “in the future,” the 6-K said. Sony expects to sign those definitive agreements in October and complete the sale to Murata by March, it said. The consumer operations of Sony-branded USB batteries, alkaline batteries, button and coin batteries, and mobile projectors won't be included in the sale, it said. Sony launched its battery business in 1975 and commercialized the world’s first lithium-ion battery in 1991, it said. “Until now, Sony has continued to pursue the development and business launch of various advanced battery products, primarily as key components for electronics products,” it said. “Recently, Sony has focused on enhancing the profitability of its lithium-ion polymer battery business for smartphones, an area where the competitive environment is significantly changing.” The company also shifted its resources to commercializing cylindrical lithium-ion batteries for power tools and “other high-power applications where it possesses significant technological advantages,” it said.

Symantec won “early termination” of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period on its proposed $4.65 billion cash acquisition of web security company Blue Coat, the FTC said in a notice Wednesday. Blue Coat CEO Greg Clark will be named CEO of Symantec after the close of the deal in Q3, succeeding Ajei Gopal, interim chief operating officer, Symantec said last month (see 1606130010).

ON Semiconductor again extended its previously announced tender offer -- to acquire the outstanding shares of Fairchild Semiconductor for $20 per share in cash -- which expired Thursday. The latest extension expires Aug. 4 at midnight EDT, said an ON news release Friday. It has received some 61 million shares of Fairchild common stock, not including 6.3 million shares tendered by notice of guaranteed delivery for shares not yet delivered, representing 53.1 percent of outstanding Fairchild shares. All other terms and conditions are unchanged, said the company. Terms of the transaction agreement require successive 10-business-day extensions, and ON Semiconductor “currently intends to continue making such successive extensions,” it said. The initial purchase offer was made Dec. 4.

The FTC approved Gannett, OnShore and Tencent acquisitions in early termination notices issued this week. The commission Tuesday said it won't challenge Gannett's $156 million acquisition of digital advertising services company ReachLocal (see 1606270081). Monday, the FTC gave the nod to OnShore's buy of NXP Semiconductors' standard products business, Nexperia, and China-based Tencent Holdings' majority stake in Finnish mobile game maker Supercell from SoftBank.

Vizio, subject of much industry chatter as a possible LeEco takeover target (see 1607130053), was second only to Samsung in North American TV unit share for Q1, the latest quarter for which data are available for public release, Paul Gagnon, IHS market director-TV sets research, emailed us Wednesday. Vizio controlled 21.3 percent market share to Samsung’s 28.1 percent, Gagnon said. As for news that LeEco is bidding to buy Vizio for upwards of $1.5 billion, “there have been no official announcements I am aware of, but I have heard similar supply chain chatter over the last week,” Gagnon said. “We are still researching what’s going on.” William Wang, Vizio's founder, chairman and CEO, owns about 55 percent, according to the company’s nearly year-old S-1 SEC filing (see 1507260001), and so would be the biggest financial beneficiary of a sale to LeEco. Under Vizio’s yet-to-be-consummated initial public offering, since Wang as an individual will own more than half the “voting power” of common shares after the IPO, the company would qualify to operate under SEC rules as a “controlled company” if it ever went public, the filing said. That classification would exempt Vizio from key SEC corporate governance rules, including the requirement that Vizio’s board be composed of a majority of independent directors, the filing said.

Rovi and TiVo landed “early termination” of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period on Rovi’s proposed TiVo buy for $1.1 billion in cash and stock (see 1604290044), the companies said in a joint Monday announcement. The deal still awaits “other customary closing conditions,” including formal approval of both companies' shareholders, they said. The companies still expect the deal to close in Q3, they said.

Polycom terminated its $1.96 billion merger agreement with Mitel after receiving a better offer, Mitel said in a news release Friday. Polycom agreed to $2 billion deal with Siris Capital Group, Siris said in a separate announcement. The change in plans occurred more than a month after the FTC OK’d Polycom’s buy of the Ottawa-based unified communications provider (see 1605190035). The deal was announced in April. Polycom gave Mitel the chance to match the new offer, as required in their agreement, but Mitel decided against it, the Canadian company said. As a result, Polycom will pay Mitel $60 million to terminate the deal, Mitel said. “The agreement announced on April 15 resulted from a detailed due diligence and negotiation process that we feel accurately determined fair value for Polycom,” said Mitel CEO Rich McBee. “We feel it would not be in the best interest of Mitel shareholders to adjust the existing agreement.” Polycom said it expects to close the Siris deal in Q3 after receiving stockholder and regulatory approvals.

Arris and Comcast signed a warrant agreement that lets the cable operator buy ordinary shares of Arris based on specific sales targets in 2016 and 2017, Arris said in a news release Tuesday. It said it sells Comcast technologies for its video, broadband and voice services, plus wireless gateways and other networking equipment.

Lionsgate will buy Starz for $4.4 billion, the buyer said in a news release Thursday. The deal “significantly increases the combined company's content creation capabilities, enhances its leadership in premium scripted programming and scales its global distribution footprint” across platforms, it said. It's expected to “accelerate the growth of Lionsgate and Starz's own” over-the-top services, said Lionsgate. The combined company will include a 16,000-title film and TV library, 87 original series on 42 U.S. networks, a $7 billion feature film business and “the STARZ platform” reaching 24 million, it said. It "will enable us to compete successfully in today's rapidly evolving global entertainment marketplace," said Lionsgate Chairman Mark Rachesky. The buyer said both companies' boards approved, and shareholders and regulators will be asked for their OK's.